From the editor’s desk… Could football be played in the spring
Published 4:41 pm Wednesday, May 13, 2020
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
The constant talk around town and probably throughout the state and country is will there be football and when will it be played.
Obviously, the TSSAA has already said that football was going to have to be played at all possible because it is the number one cash-generating sport that is played during the school year and after losing out on over a million dollars of revenue from the boy’s and girl’s basketball tournaments, the TSSAA cannot do without the revenue from football.
So, in that case, what could be a scenario?
One scenario I have heard of recently is that the football season will be moved to the first of the year and in this particular scenario, winter sports at high schools could all be nipped in the bud.
And I can tell you right now that won’t sit well with the athletes or parents because that means that a cash cow has stomped all over the sport(s) they love to participate in.
It could mean a smelly situation for TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress in the event this plays out because by looking at the current COVID-19 numbers this pandemic hasn’t ended and with talk of a second round especially with the way people are beginning to flock together, who knows what the next 8 to 12 months hold.
However, if this is going to be the case, the TSSAA should take swift action to make a move so that these winter sports athletes and coaches can be prepared.
It wouldn’t even be worth the time to hold tryouts to select squads if this is the case because all that will do is get hopes up to only come crashing down.
Many colleges have already moved to cancel fall sports and many of the larger conferences are talking of only playing regional games against teams in their conference where they can climb on board a bus and travel to and from the game in the same day to eliminate the cost of overnight stays especially if games are played without fans.
One thing is really evident at this point and that is someone is going to come out of this thing happy and others are going to be really disappointed.
There are too many scenarios still up in the air at this time to know exactly what will happen but it is reasonable to believe that if any sport will be played at the prep level it will be football.
Football is what keeps volleyball, golf, soccer, track, swimming and other sports afloat allowing athletes to participate and it may be these very sports that will have to bleed the heaviest should they be slashed for the season.
And while for the most part there is a love of sports at all levels, it seems that the most important thing is to make sure these athletes remain safe and that might call for the cancellation of sports for a period.
I, for one, certainly hope not and I am super glad that I am not the one that has to make these difficult calls.
That’s why the TSSAA gets paid the big bucks and they will definitely earn their money for this coming school year and those tough decisions that rest on their shoulders.
